


more than the world can contain

by weisenbachfelded



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Canon Rewrite, F/F, First Kiss, First Meetings, newsbians, they are just .... so in love, this is literally 1.6k words of kath being a hopeless lesbian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24028666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weisenbachfelded/pseuds/weisenbachfelded
Summary: Sarah let her arm fall, allowing their fingertips to brush together ever so slightly. Hardly daring to, Katherine bumped their hands together a little more than was strictly necessary. Every touch send shivers down her spine, trickling electricity through her veins.Katherine stays behind after the newsies meet at Jacobi’s deli - where Sarah is working while her father is laid off.
Relationships: Sarah Jacobs/Katherine Plumber Pulitzer
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	more than the world can contain

**Author's Note:**

> the whole lyric for the title is ‘i love you more than the world can contain’ and i think thats beautiful especially when writing canon era  
> anyway enjoy! this can be read as part of my canon rewrite javid fic ‘i wouldn’t know where to start’ (read it it’s a great time you’ll love it)

‘You want a story?’ Jack grinned at Katherine. ‘Be in front of the circulation gate tomorrow morning and you’ll get one. And bring a camera. You’re gonna wanna snap a picture of this.’ He gestured around him to the newsies, who all laughed and cheered. Katherine beamed back disbelievingly excited and terrified. 

‘Let’s go, boys, play outside.’ Mr. Jacobi emerged from the kitchen, shooing them away. ‘I gotta set up for dinner. I got payin’ customers need tables.’ The newsies trailed out, calling thanks and goodbyes. Though he feigned annoyance, Katherine could tell how fond he was of the boys. 

Katherine leaned back against the counter, her legs feeling wobbly, and watched as the newsies left, all of them jittery with excitement. How on earth had she gotten herself mixed up in this?

‘You gonna order anything?’ The girl behind the counter asked. 

Katherine started, and pulled her attention away from the quickly retreating newsies. Her reply died on her lips as she took in the girl for the first time. She was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and expressive eyebrows - one raised apprehensively. Her hair was pinned loosely back, strands escaping to frame her face. Her makeshift uniform, an apron over brown trousers, was loose-fitting, giving only a vague impression of her figure. The sleeves of her blouse were rolled up to the elbows, and, where she leaned on the counter, Katherine could see the outline of the muscles in her forearms. Katherine swallowed, dragging her gaze back up to meet the girl’s. She felt very warm all of a sudden. 

‘I - yes, sorry - I wasn’t - I’m a little nervous.’ Katherine stammered, gesturing vaguely to the last of the newsies. 

‘And I’m Sarah. Sarah Jacobs.’ The girl bit back a smirk, and held out a hand for Katherine to shake. Katherine just blinked back. 

‘Oh! That’s - that’s funny.’ Katherine shook her hand, smiling despite herself. ‘I’m Katherine. Uh, Plumber.’

‘You sure about that?’ The girl - Sarah - raised her eyebrows again. 

‘Yes?’ Katherine replied. ‘I mean - it’s my writing name. The name I write under. Pen name! That’s the word.’ She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. Why couldn’t she pull herself together?

‘Well, would you like a coffee, Miss Plumber?’ Sarah asked. 

‘Yes. Yes, please.’ Katherine could feel herself going steadily redder. 

‘Any... kind of coffee?’ Sarah prompted, gently teasing. 

‘A strong one?’ Katherine asked, hoping that was the right answer. Sarah laughed, and Katherine’s breath caught in her throat. 

‘Take a seat. I’ll bring it right over.’ 

‘Thank you! Uh - I’ll sit -‘ Katherine looked around the empty deli ‘- over there?’ She pointed to a booth in the corner. 

‘Whatever you want.’ Sarah bit her lip to keep from grinning. Katherine’s heart flip-flopped, and she hurried off to her booth. 

She slipped into her seat, and put her head in her hands. She thought she might die from sheer embarrassment. 

‘One strong coffee?’ Katherine looked up to see Sarah, a cup of coffee and a cookie in hand, a tea towel slung over her shoulder

‘Thank you.’ Katherine smiled, willing herself not to say something stupid again. ‘Hey, do you want to - to join me?’ So much for not saying something stupid.

‘It’s not every day a customer asks that.’ She replied with a laugh. ‘Sure, why not?’ Sarah raised her voice to call to Mr. Jacobi. ‘I’m taking my break!’ 

Mr. Jacobi gave some kind of muffled affirmation, and Sarah untied her apron, sitting down opposite Katherine. 

‘So, how’d you wind up with that lot?’ Sarah asked. 

‘With - with the newsies?’ Katherine took a bite of her cookie. ‘Goddamn that’s good. You didn’t have to -‘

‘My present.’ Sarah shrugged. ‘Yeah, with the newsies. And my dumbass brother.’ 

‘Your brother?’ Katherine frowned. 

‘David. Blue eyes, kinda skinny. Wears a tie ‘cause he thinks it makes him look smarter.’ 

‘Oh!’ Katherine exclaimed. ‘I see it now you say that!’ Sarah laughed at that. ‘He was - he was nice to me.’

‘Yeah, that’s David for you. Too nice for his own good.’ Sarah rolled her eyes, fondly. 

‘Well, I’m a reporter.’ Katherine explained, answering her initial question. ‘They won’t give me real stories on account of -‘ she gestured to herself ‘the ‘woman’ thing. So I’m... finding them on my own, I guess.’ 

‘That’s damn impressive.’ Sarah looked genuinely impressed. Katherine couldn’t help but feel pleased with herself, to have Sarah looking at her with such admiration. ‘It ain’t easy, findin’ real work.’ 

‘How come you work here?’ Katherine asked. 

‘My father got into an accident at work. Busted up his leg, they laid him off, you know the drill. Us kids had to find some way to keep the money going.’ Sarah frowned. 

‘I’m sorry. About your father.’ Katherine took another bite of cookie, and then offered it to Sarah. 

‘Nah, don’t be. Oh, thank you.’ She snapped off a bit of cookie, and spoke through her mouthful. Katherine didn’t know why, but it was oddly endearing. ‘Anyway, my brothers went out to get a job selling papers, and David comes back with no job, a union, and a boyfriend.’ Sarah laughed. ‘At least I got myself a proper job.’ 

‘Good on you.’ Katherine smiled back. ‘How come you ended up here?’ 

‘Jacobi’s an old family friend.’ Sarah explained. 

Katherine found her attention drawn to Sarah’s mouth as she talked, staring at her chapped and bitten lips, the way they curved into a smile when she spoke about something she found adequately amusing. 

‘... so he don’t mind me workin’ real shifts, even though I’m a girl.’ 

‘Hm?’ Katherine looked up at Sarah, suddenly aware she had stopped speaking. 

‘You’re very sweet, Katherine.’ Sarah laughed, almost to herself. 

‘I feel like you’re making fun of me.’ Katherine protested, flushing bright red. 

‘I wasn’t being mean.’ Sarah said softly. ‘I meant it.’ 

‘I - oh.’ Katherine stumbled to a halt over her words. Sarah bit back another smile. Katherine’s heart fumbled, and she went an even brighter shade of red. Mortified, she buried her face in her hands, much to Sarah’s amusement. 

‘Hey! Sarah! Your break don’t last all day.’ Mr. Jacobi called from the back room. 

‘Comin’, Mr. Jacobi!’ Sarah shouted back. ‘Sorry - I really should go.’ She said to Katherine, voice gentle once again ‘This has been... this has been really lovely, Kath.’ Katherine blinked. No one called her - 

‘No one calls me Kath.’ She blurted out, and regretted it immediately when she saw Sarah’s face fall. 

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t -‘ Sarah started. 

‘No, I mean -‘ Katherine interrupted her ‘- I like it.’ She looked down at her hands, twisting nervously on the tabletop. 

‘Well then, Kath. I’ll see you around.’ Sarah reached out a hand, almost as if to take Katherine’s in hers -

‘Sarah, we’re outta eggs.’ Mr. Jacobi rushed out of the kitchen, looking flustered. ‘How the hell am I s’posed to make dinner if we’re outta eggs?’ 

‘Would you like me to go and get some eggs?’ Sarah asked him, amused. 

‘Oh. Yeah. Good idea.’ Mr. Jacobi fished in his pocket and handed Sarah some coins. ‘Don’t be too long! Dinner rush’ll be startin’ soon.’ 

‘Do you want to - do you want to walk together?’ Sarah asked Katherine. ‘It’s okay if not, you probably got places to be -‘

‘I’d like that very much.’ Katherine beamed at her. A smile spread across Sarah’s face. 

‘Okay. Okay.’ She offered her arm to Katherine, mockingly formal. ‘Shall we?’ Katherine laughed, and took her arm. Every fibre of Katherine’s being was screaming out at the close contact, at the feeling of her side being pressed up against Sarah’s.

As they walked, Katherine felt her heart pounding, thundering in her ears. She deliberately dragged her feet, walking far slower than she had to, elongating every second of the short walk to the grocery store. And - Katherine was sure she wasn’t imagining it - Sarah matched her pace, taking the most leisurely steps, clinging on to every moment. 

Sarah let her arm fall, allowing their fingertips to brush together ever so slightly. Hardly daring to, Katherine bumped their hands together a little more than was strictly necessary. Every touch send shivers down her spine, trickling electricity through her veins. 

And then, ever so slowly, in almost exact synchrony, the two allowed their hands move, to overlap, their fingers to curl, until their hands were interlaced between them. Katherine looked down at their hands with what was almost shock, and then up at Sarah, who was already staring at her, smile lines crinkling around her dark eyes. 

‘This is my stop.’ She motioned to the grocery store in front of them. 

‘Oh.’ Katherine breathed, unable to look anywhere but at Sarah. ‘I really have had a wonderful time with you.’ She murmured. Katherine watched as Sarah’s eyes flickered down to her mouth, then back up again. The corner of her mouth quirked, and she looked around them. 

Katherine found herself suddenly pulled into a side-alley, and up against the brick wall. Sarah’s hand was still intertwined with hers. Sarah frowned a little, searching Katherine’s eyes. 

‘Tell me if I’m wrong.’ Sarah breathed. Katherine watched her mouth form 

Katherine shook her head, a tiny, almost imperceptible movement. And then there were lips on hers, chapped and, rough, and Sarah’s hand was on her waist, holding her steady and firm. Katherine kissed back as best she knew how, eager and giddy and warm and bright. 

Sarah pulled back, and Katherine drew in a shaky breath. 

‘You’re not wrong.’ Katherine smiled up at her, and Sarah bit her lip to stop herself from smiling the same giddy smile. 

‘I’ll see you soon, Kath.’ Sarah held up their joined hands, and kissed the back of Katherine’s lightly. And then she was gone. 

Katherine leaned back against the wall, head reeling, lips still aching with the imprint of Sarah’s, and heart hopeful with the promise of Sarah’s parting words.

**Author's Note:**

> what did we do as a fandom to deserve a ship as good as newsbians they are just so perfect  
> anyway pls leave me a comment! they’re what keeps me writing especially new stuff like this  
> and say hi to me on tumblr @weisenbachfelded!  
> much love xxx


End file.
